Two weeks ago I bought a bunch of starfruit (carambola) with the crazy idea of using it to make a cheesecake topping. Unfortunately the cheesecake never materialized and I was stuck with these silly green things in my vegetable drawer. Rather than let them go bad I pondered what else I could use it for. See I’ve been committing myself to not only recreating and sharing as many local/traditional foods as possible, but also to re-interpreting foreign dishes into a local lexicon as much as possible.

So after seeing recipes for zucchini bread and then a vegan recipe for Sunshine Citrus Bread it occurred to me… why not make Carambola Bread! D’OH! I mentioned my plan to a few friends – all of whom viewed me with suspicion. I remained undaunted though, in my mind the tart juiciness of carambola (locally dubbed five-fingers) made it the lovechild of the zuchinni and citrus worlds! There was no way this would fail!

The finished product was ridiculously soft and moist. At first I thought it was not sweet enough, but mom said it was fine. After a few hours when I went back to it I agreed. But adjust to suit your own preferences. The bread is good as-is.. but I highly recommend having it slathered with butter. Oh it was insane! The loaf was gone by the next day

Carambola Bread
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Serving Size: 12

Ingredients:

1 cup pureed five fingers (carambola/star fruit) – about 3 to 4 small
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup wholewheat flour
1 cup white flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and oil or spray one large (9 X5X3-inch) loaf pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the puree, sugar, milk, and egg.
3. In another bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and mix well. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir just until all the flour is moistened. Do not over-stir.
4. Pour into the prepared loaf pan(s) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.

Note: If using a black non-stick baking tin reduce the heat to 325

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.